VRTNI NAMJEÅ TAJ - DalCasa

InterContinental Bora Bora Grobnica kralja Pomara V. / Tomb of King Pomare V.European ColonisationIt wasn’t until the 18th century that the first European shiparrived to this faraway island. It was led by English captainWallis in 1767, who was joined a year later by Frenchcaptain Bougainville and the legendary captain Cook,and his records of Tahiti greatly helped to discover andeventually research this island. Naturally, the Tahitiansweren’t observing European colonisers with approval, soit took more than 50 years for this island to be conqueredand for the missionaries to introduce Christianity as theprimary religion. During the 19th century, this island wasmanaged by France, and although European colonisersalso brought civilization to the island, it can still onlybe sensed in its capital, while the rest of this island hasremained untouched and a true oasis of peace andwonderful nature, which is so different and distant fromEuropean soil that J.J.Rousseau deservedly named it “thelost paradise”.These days, Tahiti is one of the most visited tourism destinationsout there, as it annually hosts 250 thousand touriststhat mostly choose to stay in luxuriously arranged accommodationthat costs 1000 euros a night. After tourism,the most important economical branch in Tahiti is theproduction of expensive black pearls. The island featuresmany pearl factories, and the reason black pearls areso expensive is the long and uncertain process of theirproduction. French Polynesia is the world centre of pearlproduction, as well as the only place where that trade isbeing trained. Every woman possesses at least one pearl,and it is also worn by many men – besides being a decoration,it also has a role of a status symbol in Tahiti.Homeland of Tatoos and Black PearlsYet another skill that has been adopted by the entireworld has its roots on this location, and that is the processof getting tattoos. All cultures of the world are acquaintedwith tattoos to some degree, but it can be seen atits most sumptuous right here in Polynesia. The very word“tattoo” comes from a Tahitian word “tatau”, whichstands for carving indelible marks on your skin. Tatooswere previously used to signify clan identity and socialstatus while being drawn during the initiation process, asyoung men would set out to prove their courage. Tatooswere also being used when trying to seduce a womanor frighten your opponent. As you walk down the capitalto this very day, you can still see a large number of menwith their entire bodies covered in traditional Tahitiantattoos.Some other traditional rituals have been preserved tothis very day. The most famous and visited of the bunchis the traditional Tahitian dance that still brings joy tonumerous guests on hotel terraces and beaches on anightly basis. It is a combination of a combat dance,as tattooed muscular young men show off their warriorskills, and a type of a seduction dance, as wonderfuldark-skinned Tahitian women stroll in their traditionalstraw-and-palm outfits, while it all culminates with aunique dance that involves fire and is another Tahitianritual that has been introduced to the world.You might want to pay attention to the exact spot inwhich Tahitian women hold their flower. According totradition, if the flower is tucked behind her right ear, thatmeans that she is available. If the flower is located behindher left ear, she is married or spoken for, and if she’swearing a flower behind both her ears, she is spoken forbut still willing to flirt.We recommend you visit Tahiti during the dry season,which means between October and April, if you wantto enjoy your discovery of this distant paradise on Earth.If you want an active vacation, you have plenty of possibilities,from scuba diving among stunning atolls andtropical fish, all the way to playing golf or being introducedto hiking through a rainforest. Naturally, comingto Tahiti will be worth it even if you don’t do anything butrelax, swim in the turquoise sea and enjoy the view thatoffers no land in sight. But if you really make it here, it’llbe worth it to get acquainted to their culture and historythat, despite being interrupted by civilization and colonisers,has preserved itself to this very day while still beingso special and different from our own.63